Interview with Aaditya Thackeray: “A coalition with Congress is preferable to a dictatorial party”

Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray has said that CM Eknath Shinde merely joined the BJP and quit his party in order to stay out of prison. In a special interview with TOI, he said, “Every single MLA has left because they wanted to avoid going to jail.”

“Working with someone whose mindset is to save our Constitution and democracy is easier than working with an authoritarian party that doesn’t believe in co-existence,” Aaditya added, drawing a distinction between the BJP and the Congress. He said that BMC contracts would be examined and that no one, not even the former municipal commissioner, would be spared if MVA won back control of the state legislature after the elections.

Taken from an exclusive conversation with Aaditya Thackeray, a former minister and MLA for the Shiv Sena (UBT):
Videos
Q: Following Uddhav Thackeray, the chairman of the Sena (UBT), revealing that Devendra Fadnavis promised to groom you as chief minister, Eknath Shinde has said that he quit the Sena due to embarrassment.
A: On this, Uddhavji has said. The key thing is that we and the BJP had an agreement in 2019, but the BJP did not uphold it. The BJP even tore up the coalition in October of 2014 since polls showed they could win on their own. They sought to remove a 25-year-old ally. This is the mindset of the BJP. Utilize and discard.

However, was it discussed that you would take over as the CM?
The hope that Shiv Sainik would eventually take over as CM had significance for us. More than that, I believe that the BJP has repeatedly stabbed us in the back when a party fails to uphold its pledge to provide each party with an equal number of seats and a half-share in the government.

What makes you believe that Eknath Shinde left?
His whole purpose in fleeing to Gujarat was to avoid being imprisoned. The ‘join or prison’ stance of the BJP was the reason he departed. All of the MLAs have departed in order to stay out of prison. While he plunders the state and city, the BJP unlawfully installed him as chief minister and is unconditionally supporting him.
You’ve been accusing people of participating in several frauds.

2.5 of the previous 5 years were spent in an MVA. Examine our COVID administration. It worked well and was clear and open. The Dharavi methodology was commended by the WHO, and lives were spared. Consider the actions of the BJP in UP or Surat. We received investments of Rs 6.5 lakh crore at the time the global economy was collapsing. Ninety percent of them are becoming reality. However, Gujarat has been awarded five or six large projects in the last two years.

I don’t personally dislike Gujarat. Every state ought to get its fair share of compensation, but when projects intended for our state are diverted to Gujarat,. Examine government positions; every test has paper leaks. Speak with farmers, and they will tell you that Uddhav Thackeray’s loan waiver has reached us. Over the last two and a half years, there has been a rise in violence; our previous corporator was shot dead on Facebook Live, yet thugs are still making reels in Mantralaya.

Do you have any clear plans for action?
A. We have evidence for every accusation of corruption we have made. The Lokayukta has already heard one case. There are other frauds like the one involving the CC Road; when the government is formed in October, we will look into them and hold everyone accountable, including the previous municipal commissioner and ministers.
There was conflict with the Congress about seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha elections.
There will be tough seat talks in any coalition with strong allies. Thus, this is the situation that arose in the MVA.
Since this is the first election that your party is running in coalition with the Congress, how has the relationship been between your party and the Congress?
All democracies need parties that pay attention to the people. One person’s mann ki baat is insufficient. Parties from all across India have united. so that others will hear us. True development requires a cooperative government rather than an authoritarian one. Accountability and openness are present in this. Sena has previously backed Congress in elections for both Pranab Mukherjee and Pratibha Patil. Together, we have shown the state how diverse political parties can cooperate to further the common good. It’s far simpler to work with someone who believes in preserving democracy and our constitution than it is to work with a party that is authoritarian and doesn’t support coexistence. There are no small-time politics or credit disputes with Congress. Thus far, no pledges have been breached. They fielded rebels in their partnership with the BJP and attempted to unseat our candidates. They therefore betrayed us, even inside the coalition.